Cloud computing is a computing technology that uses the Internet and central remote servers to maintain data and applications. A Cloud provider may employ multiple Clouds when providing a set of services to a customer. There are scenarios where it is necessary for multiple Clouds to inter-operate to provide an overall composite service to a customer. In these instances, it is imperative that a Cloud provider knows exactly what units of work are within its Cloud (and therefore responsibility), what units have been transferred to other Clouds (and when), and what units were transferred into its Cloud (and when).
Currently, prior art Cloud computing environments provide no known solution for tracking the exchange of information between distinct computing Clouds. As is known in the art, this type of inter-Cloud activity may be necessary when providing a service for the customer. In order to bill the customer accurately, the Cloud provider is required to accurately track and manage usage for inter-Cloud services.